Dubai
Anyone living in the UAE has surely crossed paths with one of its numerous residents, the stray cat! Estimates put the number of cats living on the streets of the UAE as upwards of 250,000. But, did you know that the local street cats are a recognised breed that is highly sought after in other parts of the world?
The Arabian Mau is an extremely intelligent, fun, loyal and loving cat, ideally suited to the climate of the Gulf region. With their short-haired coats they require very little maintenance. As a natural breed they are far healthier than most other known breeds, with no genetic weaknesses caused by years of over-breeding.
On the street, they are excellent at controlling pest populations, including rodents, scorpions and snakes, so a healthy, neutered neighbourhood colony should be a welcome sight to residents. In the home, they make fantastic family cats, and are especially good with children, their high energy allowing for plenty of play time, while their affectionate nature guarantees even more cuddles.
The Arabian Mau is a unique cat to be celebrated, and this “Mau-vember”, a play on Movember, the Bin Kitty Collective was doing just that! Throughout the month members took part in competitions and shared their personal stories that helped to showcase just how extraordinary our local cat is.
The Bin Kitty Collective is the UAE’s largest online community of cat welfare supporters, and was established three years ago with the mission to help people help the stray, abandoned and distressed animals of the UAE. Our aim is to educate, raise awareness and support those working for the improvement of animal welfare, with the primary focus being TNR — trap, neuter, release. This involves humanely trapping feral cats, having them neutered at one of a number of excellent vet clinics and returning them to their neighbourhood. This is the best way to help control a rapidly expanding population of stray cats, as well as keeping them as healthy as possible.
In three years, we’ve neutered over 4,500 cats through this programme, as well as finding homes for over 700 more.
During Mau-vember, we also hosted three adoption days dedicated to the Arabian Mau, so people could come along to adopt their very own. Our final event was yesterday, at the British Veterinary Hospital on Al Wasl Road, but those interested can still reach out to us to adopt one of the remaining cats.
For more information on the Arabian Mau, the TNR process, adopting a cat or just to find out more about our group, please email binkittycollective@gmail.com or join our facebook group.
— The reader is a co-founder of the Bin Kitty Collective.
